Bible Study - Suffering (4) - What is GOD'S Answer to Suffering? - Job 40:1-8; 42:1-6 - February 2, 2020

Bible Study – Suffering (4) – What is GOD’S Answer to Suffering? – February 2, 2020


This is lesson four (4) in our series entitled “When Life Gets Hard: Big Questions About Pain and Suffering.”


Our focus scripture is Job 40:1-8; 42:1-6.


GOD’S actions are often beyond our understanding but we can trust HIM.


Let’s read a few verses in Job 38. GOD was speaking to Job. GOD asks Job many questions leading up to our focus scripture. Job had suffered greatly. GOD had allowed Satan to strike Job – him and his family both financially, and physically. Job sought GOD for answers, comfort and help. Job was desperate to hear from GOD. Job does not hear from GOD until Chapter 38. 

When GOD does speak to Job, one would think since Job had remained faithful to GOD, that GOD would speak words of comfort to Job.


When GOD spoke in Chapter 38, HE offered little in words of comfort to Job. GOD’S tone was direct, challenging and without apology. When GOD spoke to Job it was as a Judge questioning a witness. GOD did not reveal to Job that he was the subject of a duel between GOD and Satan.


GOD directed a question to Job in Job 38:2 as we read on ----


Let’s read Job 38:1-7 for background:

The Lord Speaks

38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said:

² Who is this who obscures my counsel
with ignorant words?

GOD asks Job a probing question. In essence, GOD was saying, “Job, take a step back and consider it is not why but who? And the answer to that question is GOD and not Job. Job could not understand GOD or figure GOD out. What he had to do was to trust GOD.

Scripture in Isaiah 55:8-9 gives us a clue into GOD’S wisdom:

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
⁹ “For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Why trust GOD? GOD’S perspective is beyond our human perspective. Second Chronicles 16:9a:

⁹ For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him.

Back to Job 38:3-8: (GOD was speaking to Job)

³ Get ready to answer me like a man;
when I question you, you will inform me.
⁴ Where were you when I established the earth?
Tell me, if you have^[a] understanding.
⁵ Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly, you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
⁶ What supports its foundations?
Or who laid its cornerstone
⁷ while the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

GOD’S questions lead Job to ponder GOD’S ability and provision versus man’s/Job.

Let’s read Job 40:1-5:

40 The Lord answered Job:

² Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.^[a]

The “LORD” is “Yahweh.” GOD spoke to Job in a questioning tone because Job wanted to take GOD to court. The word “contends” carries the idea of “dispute.” The word “correct” carries the idea of “to straighten out” or “to instruct.” In essence, Job wanted to straighten GOD out.

I can relate. Certainly, my journey with our LORD does not compare to Job’s but there were times when I told GOD that when I get to Heaven there were a few things I needed to discuss with HIM.

A number of years ago, I was asked to consider teaching “Experiencing GOD.” My wife and I took the course together. I began my study by telling GOD I had a few things I needed to place before HIM that I did not agree with. I would be totally honest with HIM and I wanted HIM to be honest with me.

I can tell you, “Over the course, I revealed all the questions and grievances before GOD and I did not win.” GOD desires for HIS Children to be honest with HIM because HE already knows our hearts. Job revealed his heart to GOD.

It is much like when a child wants to be the parent. When the child realizes that he or she can learn from the parent, a right relationship emerges and a new dynamic takes place in his or her relationship with the parent(s).

In essence, GOD was saying to Job, “Are you trying to tell me what to do? If so, then have at it!” How did Job respond as we read on ----?

³ Then Job answered the Lord:

⁴ I am so insignificant. How can I answer you?
I place my hand over my mouth.
⁵ I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.

Again, in essence Job said, “LORD, I fully understand that YOU are sovereign and compared to YOU, I am insignificant. I realize that I have already said too much and I will shut up. I will keep my mouth shut and listen to YOU.

You know when we argue with GOD, it is when we shut up and listen that is when HE speaks to us and healing and understanding can take place. In Psalm 46:10 - ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Often when GOD is silent, we think HE is absent or disinterested in what we are experiencing. In Deuteronomy 31:6:

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When we have the right relationship with GOD, we are confident in HIM in all things. But this is something that we learn as we walk with our LORD on the road of life. We build the sweet assurance that HE is with us and we can call upon HIM for whatever we need.

Job was saying, I will keep my mouth shut because YOU are sovereign.

Let’s read Job 40:6-8:

⁶ Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:

⁷ Get ready to answer me like a man;
When I question you, you will inform me.

⁸ Would you really challenge my justice?
Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself?

Why did GOD answer Job from a whirlwind?

Job questioned GOD’S sovereignty. GOD spoke to Elijah in a still small voice but HE spoke to Job from a whirlwind or tornado. Do you think GOD chooses the way HE speaks to us is based upon our attitude toward HIM?

GOD was challenging Job to stop and think about WHO he/Job was questioning. There are times when we get too big for our britches, so-to-speak. This was such a time in the life of Job and GOD corrected him. HE spoke to Job from a whirlwind to get his attention and to reveal HIS sovereign power to Job.

This was GOD’S way to get Job’s attention and to put him in his proper place. This was GOD’S teaching moment for Job. GOD had to first get Job’s undivided attention. GOD told Job that HE had created things including the creatures that roamed the earth. GOD knew how to run the world and HE did not need to explain Himself to mankind, especially to a person who was not in right relationship with HIM.

When we are in right relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS, as HIS Children, we can probe the depths of the deepest sea or ascend to the highest mountains. Why? It is because we know when to wait upon the LORD. We may need to grow Spiritually before we can comprehend and understand what GOD has for those who love HIM. HIS timing is always perfect.

GOD told Job to be prepared to respond to HIM as a man. In essence, “Job get ready because you asked for it and I AM going to let you have it with both barrels.” Was GOD mad at Job? No! GOD wanted Job to know that HE is GOD and HE is sovereign. Would Job declare GOD guilty to justify himself.

How did Job respond to GOD? Let’s read on -----

Let’s read Job 42:1-6:

Job Replies to the Lord

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

² I^[a] know that you can do anything
and no plan of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, “Who is this who conceals my counsel with ignorance?”
Surely I spoke about things I did not understand,
things too wondrous for me to^[b] know.
⁴ You said, “Listen now, and I will speak.
When I question you, you will inform me.”
⁵ I had heard reports about you,
but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore, I reject my words and am sorry for them;
I am dust and ashes.^[c][d]

GOD needs to straighten us out on occasions. When HE gets our attention that is the beginning of understanding. Job confirmed that he/Job must concede and consider matters from GOD’S perspective, vantage point and wisdom.

Many of us build false notions about GOD. We build GOD according to our own perspective based upon who we think GOD should be. When we do and HE fails to measure up to our concept of GOD, our faith crumbles.

JESUS said it best in Matthew 7:24-29:

²⁴ “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹ because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

Every person must examine the foundation he or she is building his or her faith upon. Is it upon the solid rock of faith in JESUS as their Savior or upon the sands of false notions? How do we know the difference?

Born-again Christians have the Holy Spirit as their teacher WHO helps them sort truth from fiction and delightful/feel-good notions. Truth comes from reading and studying GOD’S Word, the Bible and seeking truth as we all build the right relationship with GOD through prayer and putting into practice what HE is teaching us. Every Christian must have an ongoing, active, personal relationship with GOD.

It is through this relationship that GOD constantly teaches HIS children truth. Psalm 46:10:
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”

The Apostle Paul thought he was doing the will of GOD by rounding up all the Christians. The resurrected JESUS had to set him straight as he traveled on the road to Damascus. Notice in Acts 26:14-15:

¹⁴ And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

¹⁵ And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutes. (KJV)

The Apostle Paul thought he was doing the will of GOD until he encountered JESUS and began to build upon the solid foundation of JESUS.

What are you building upon, solid rock or shifting sand? What do you want to build upon? What questions do you have for GOD? Then talk to HIM like a man or woman, then read HIS Word and pray and watch as HE answers them all over time. The key is to be honest with GOD.

JESUS said in Matthew 7:7-12:

⁷ “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door^[a] will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ Who among you, if his son (or daughter) asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him. ¹² Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

The words JESUS used were ‘when you ask “keep om asking,” when you seek, “keep on seeking,” and when you knock keep on “knocking.” Why? I have found that discovery of GOD’S truth is like mining for precious gems or metals; you have to remove a lot of dirt before the genuine is revealed. So do not give up in building your right relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS. JESUS is a person’s only connection to GOD. JESUS willingly gave HIS sinless life to pay, in full, the death penalty imposed by GOD onto all humans because of sin.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:23: ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Place your faith and trust in JESUS now because eternity is just one heartbeat away. Blessings!!!

Bible Study - Suffering (3) - Why Am I Suffering? - Job 11, Job 23 and John 9 - January 26, 2020

Bible Study – Suffering (3) – Why Am I Suffering? – January 26, 2019


This is lesson three (3) in our series entitled “When Life Gets Hard: Big Questions About Pain and Suffering.”


Our focus scripture is Job 11:13-16; 23:8-12; John 9:1-3.


Don’t assume your suffering is the direct result of sin in your life.


In general, the Jews thought when ills/problems/tragedies came upon a person it was due to sin. Those who prospered, had good health and good fortune were in favor with GOD.


The Bible gives us insight into what goes on behind the scenes of life.

GOD’S desire is for HIS Children to be in the know and HIS Word allows us to get a better understanding of life as we journey through life.


In our lesson, we will study three passages, two from the Book of Job and one from the Gospel according to John. The Book of Job focuses on questions dealing with suffering and loss, not in theory but in a real story of a man named Job (long “o”). What kind of person was Job?


Job 1:1-3 gives us insight - There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of complete integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil. ² He had seven sons and three daughters. ³ His estate included seven thousand sheep and goats, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man among all the people of the east.


We learn that Job was a person of integrity, honored GOD and resisted evil. GOD had blessed him and his wife with 7 sons and 3 daughters. The numbers 7 and 3 are complete numbers in the Jewish faith and represent completeness. We also read that GOD had blessed Job and his family materially. All was well. Then tragedy struck.


Let’s read Job 1:6-22:

Satan’s First Test of Job

⁶ One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[b] also came with them. ⁷ The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”

“From roaming through the earth,” Satan answered him, “and walking around on it.”

⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.”

⁹ Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Haven’t you placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

¹² “Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “everything he owns is in your power. However, do not lay a hand on Job himself.” So, Satan left the Lord’s presence.

¹³ One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and reported: “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby, ¹⁵ the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁶ He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: “God’s fire fell from heaven. It burned the sheep and the servants and devoured them, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁷ That messenger was still speaking when yet another came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, made a raid on the camels, and took them away. They struck down the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

¹⁸ He was still speaking when another messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house. ¹⁹ Suddenly a powerful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people so that they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²⁰ Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, ²¹ saying:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will leave this life.^[c]
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.

²² Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.^[d]

Tragedy took away Job’s family and material things that he and his wife had accumulated. GOD allowed it but with restrictions. How did Job respond? How would I have responded? How would you have responded? My response would have been, “woe is me, certainly I must have done something wrong because GOD is punishing me.”


Job’s response reveals his trust in GOD. Job did not sin or blame GOD for anything. To me that reveals a solid relationship between Job and GOD. Born-again Christians have that same relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS and GOD’S Grace.


I recall following the death of our eldest son, early one morning I was praying and was pondering our son’s death. I screamed out, “I HATE DEATH!” You know what? The still small voice of GOD spoke and said “SO DO I” “AND I DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT” “I SENT MY ONLY SON TO EARTH TO LIVE AND GIVE HIS LIFE SO THAT ALL WHO PLACE THEIR FAITH IN HIM WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!” WOW! 

What a moment with GOD and the joy of knowing that our son was with JESUS and one day we will join him in Heaven.


A thought to ponder. I listened to Ken Hamm speak via video and he said, in essence, “Since there is no time in Heaven, when we die, we all get to heaven at the same time.”


Our scripture begins with a statement by the youngest of Job’s friends, Zophar, Zophar gave Job four steps for his healing and restoration. In essence, Zophar established himself as a self-righteous judge. Zophar assumed that Job had sinned. When friends throw you under the bus, it hurts. Let’s explore! Zophar speaks to Job -----


Let’s read Job 11:13-16:

¹³ As for you, if you redirect your heart
and spread out your hands to him in prayer—
¹⁴ if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it,
and don’t allow injustice to dwell in your tents—
¹⁵ then you will hold your head high, free from fault.
You will be firmly established and unafraid.
¹⁶ For you will forget your suffering,
recalling it only as water that has flowed by.

Zophar’s words reveal his thoughts regarding Job’s situation.

In essence, Zophar was saying, Job, something is wrong in your life. You need to search your heart and “redirect” what is in your heart. You need to reassess your “loyalty” or “trust in the LORD.”

You need to confess your sins by spreading your hands to GOD in prayer. Spreading hands before GOD was a sign of repentance or worship. There was an assumption of sin.

Job you need to exam your heart to identify any sin that you have committed, confess it and dispel it from your life. When Job did this, he could hold his head high, since he would be free of his unconfessed sin. He would be free from fault. Going through this self-confession would set his life upon the solid foundation of GOD. When he goes through all these steps Job would be “firmly established and unafraid.” Job will forget his suffering, recalling it only as water that has flowed by. Problem solved.

If Job had sinned, then Zophar’s advise would have been good. Zophar made a faulty assumption. Always test the advice and counsel of others against GOD’S Word, the Bible.


Now, let’s consider another friend of Job’s. His name is Eliphaz. Job made it clear to Eliphaz that despite feeling abandoned by GOD, he would continue to trust HIM. Job did not understand why he was suffering but he would not let his questions result in him breaking his faith and trust in GOD.


GOD reveals that the righteous suffer. Often, we ask why do the apparently good people suffer? Why? Often, it is through suffering that GOD renders us from that which prevents us from becoming all that HE desires for us to achieve according to HIS plan and purpose for us. Again, more light will be shed on this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, which we will cover in a few weeks.

In Chapter 22, Eliphaz had given Job a lecture. Our next scripture is Job’s response to Eliphaz.


Let’s read Job 23:8-12:

⁸ If I go east, he is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive him.
⁹ When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him;
when he turns south, I cannot find him.
¹⁰ Yet he knows the way I have taken;^[e]
when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
¹¹ My feet have followed in his tracks;
I have kept to his way and not turned aside.

¹² I have not departed from the commands from his lips;
I have treasured^[f] the words from his mouth
more than my daily food.

Job made it clear that he was seeking GOD. He had searched in all the places where GOD was either working or had been working but he could not connect with HIM. Job knew that GOD knew that he was seeking him. Job knew that when it was all over, he would emerge from the tests as pure gold. WOW! That is faith and that is what GOD desires from all of HIS Children.

The refiners fire comes to mind. A person was watching gold being refined. The goldsmith placed the gold ore in the melting pot. He turned on the gas heat. As the gold melted, a skim called dross would form on the top of the liquefied gold. The refiner would skim off the dross. The goldsmith did this a number of times and the person watching asked the goldsmith. “You keep turning up the heat and this dross keeps coming to the surface and you skim it off, when do you know when the gold is ready?” The goldsmith responded, “When I have the heat as high as it can go and I can look over into the melting pot and see my reflection. It is then that I know the gold is pure and ready. WOW! GOD desires to see HIS reflection in our lives as we obediently live and serve HIM as we journey through life.

The issues we encounter in life can either bring us closer to GOD through faith and trust in JESUS or drive us away.

For Job the trails he faced brought him closer to GOD. We know the end of Job’s life story. We are still working on our conclusion. But know that JESUS said it best in Matthew 7:9-11:

⁹ Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.

Job trusted GOD.

Now, let’s consider our last set of scripture. Again, even in JESUS’ day the common belief prevailed that sin was at the heart of the issues of life. The idea of wealthy, health and good fortune was heaped upon those favored by GOD. But when bad things happened to good people it was the result of sin. JESUS’ desire was to teach truth and dispel the false.

Today, we get false notions about GOD and life. Satan uses tragedy to drive a wedge between the people of earth and GOD. Yes, bad things happen to born-again Christians. These bad things break our hearts. Who do we turn to for comfort?

Let’s read John 9:1-4:

The Sixth Sign: Healing a Man Born Blind (Sixth of seven signs that testify to JESUS as the Messiah.)

9 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.

Notice, who asked JESUS this question? It was none other than HIS disciples. We may feel ignorant in asking some questions but if one does not know, ask. As I have heard it stated, you only ask one dumb question because after that you know the answer. So never refrain from asking. Seek truth.

The disciples of JESUS asked HIM: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” JESUS taught HIS disciples truth. Their question revealed their lack of understanding on this important issue. They were from the old school, “Physical ailments, tragedy, poor circumstances, etc. equaled sin.” They thought either the man born blind or his parents had sinned thus the son was being punished for sin.

Don’t you love it when truth comes to light? JESUS responded ³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.”

My, my, what do we learn from this statement? First JESUS healed the man by spitting into dirt and making a mud paste. In that day, it was believed that there was healing power in the spittle (saliva) of a Holy man. This was physical evidence to confirm JESUS as the promised Messiah. It was GOD’S message to the religious leaders.

In what ways are GOD’S works displayed in those who are blind?

I worked with an attorney in Washington, DC who was blind. He marveled me with his ingenuity and keen sharp mind that picked up on things that many of us missed.

GOD often uses issues in our lives for us to draw closer to HIM and to help others. HE loves us and desires the very best for us. Proverbs 3:5-6 captures this idea:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways know him,
and he will make your paths straight.

We read in Romans 8:12-17:

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, ¹³ because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba,^[g] Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Blessings!!!

Note: All of John Chapter 9 is attached for who those care to read it. TS

 John 9:1-41:

9 As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. ⁴ We^[a] must do the works of him who sent me^[b] while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ After he said these things he spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So, he left, washed, and came back seeing.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit begging?” ⁹ Some said, “He’s the one.” Others were saying, “No, but he looks like him.”

He kept saying, “I’m the one.”

¹⁰ So they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

¹¹ He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So, when I went and washed, I received my sight.”

¹² “Where is he?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Healed Man’s Testimony

¹³ They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. ¹⁴ The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ Then the Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight.

“He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.

¹⁷ Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?”

“He’s a prophet,” he said.

¹⁸ The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.

¹⁹ They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

²⁰ “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. ²¹ “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed him as the Messiah, he would be banned from the synagogue. ²³ This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.”

²⁴ So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He answered, “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”

²⁸ They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’s disciples. ²⁹ We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where he’s from.”

³⁰ “This is an amazing thing!” the man told them. “You don’t know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to him. ³² Throughout history^[c] no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

³⁴ “You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”^[d]

³⁶ “Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?” he asked.

³⁷ Jesus answered, “You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

³⁸ “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?”

⁴¹ “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Embrace truth and not notions because you will be held accountable. Ask JESUS to reveal truth to you as you seek, knock and discover. Blessings!!!